A 42-year-old German national and two Ghanaians have been arrested by the police for kidnapping a 43-year-old Ghanaian businessman at East Legon in Accra.
The suspects are Edward Whyte, Bartholomew Miteyera Champuraga, 46, and Edward Kojo Appiah, 28. According to the police, after the kidnappers had arrested the businessman, they kept him in a pit off Ashaiman.They called the family of the victim to pay $17,000 before he would be released.
They again made him sign an undertaking that he would pay an additional $58,000 and failure to pay the remaining would result in his death. In an attempt to collect the remaining amount from the suspect in his East Legon office, police arrested the suspects.
Accra Regional Crime officer Frank Adufati told Daily Guide that the said the suspects were arraigned before an Accra circuit court on Tuesday and had since been remanded. They would re-appear on August 23, 2011.
On August 5, 2011 around 11am, five men in a taxi kidnapped Nana Ofosu Aryee, a businessman in his office, Euopapee, to an unknown bush. The suspects blindfolded the victim and forced him to call the family to bring $17,000 for his release.
The family therefore arranged for the amount to be paid for the victim’s release. The money was then deposited at a nearby bush recommended by the kidnappers for collection. After getting the money, the three made the victim write an undertaking that he would add $530,000 in addition to the already paid $17,000 or he would be killed.
In an attempt to collect the remaining money from the victim at his East Legon office, the police were hinted and consequently arrested the three in their Toyota Corolla cab with registration number GE 6097-11.
Mr. Adufati said the three- Edward Whyte, Bartholomew Miteyera Champuraga and Edward Kojo Appiah- were arrested at the office of the victim.
In their caution statement, the German admitted to the offence but said in 2008, the victim collected an amount of $750,000 from him and his American business partner to supply them gold but failed to either get them the gold or their money which was why he resorted to kidnapping him.
Source: GhanaWeb
